Game board primarily for small children

ABSTRACT

A game board, primarily for small children, enables all children to move at approximately the same time so that they do not have to wait their turn. Also, the game board is sufficiently large and massive so that the players may move with force, vigor, and enthusiasm. Each player may take any optional number of allowable game board moves within specified time periods, and another player who is &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;it&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; tries to guess a game board position by another player.

United States Patent 1 I m] 3,870,310

Jeffery Mar. 11, 197s l l GAME BOARD PRIMARILY FOR SMALL CHILDRENPrimary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examinerl-larry G.Strappello [76] Inventor: Richard Jeffery, 4347 Packard Ave Cudahy, wig53110 Attorney, Agent, or Ftrm Alter & Weiss [22] Filed: Sept. 6, 1973[2] Appl. No.: 394,955 [57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl. 273/131 BA A gameboard, primarily for small children, enables all [Sll Int. Cl. A63f 3/00children to move at approximately the same time so [58] Field f s a h---2 3/ 31 31 A 131 that they do not have to wait their turn. Also, the273/134 13 3 G 3 3 game board is sufficiently large and massive so thatGP, 136 C, 131, 86 the players may move with force, vigor, and enthusi-72, 22 A, 35 J asm. Each player may take any optional number ofallowable game board moves within specified time peri- [56] ReferencesCited ods, and another player who is it tries to guess a UNITED STATESPATENTS game board position by another player.

2,703.45) 3/!955 Paqucttc 35/73 X 3.|95.893 7/l965 Friedman, et all.273/l36C(X) 2.794.642 6/1957 O'Neill ..273/l34 (AD) 5 Cl 6 D 330.000ll/l885 Lundstedt 273/134(AD) raw'ng I.O39.485 9/l9l2 .Biggar..273/l34(GM) 2,727,746 l2/l955 Hawkes 273L134 cmux) 3,169,021 2/1965Bella, Jr 273/134 AD I {C J K \j fiijkj l5 18 I80 I80 18 I8 I70 l7 l70I70 I70 l2 I9 I9 I9 I9 I9 2150 I I50 I50 I50 I40 I4 I40 \4 I4 I30 I30I30 I30 13Z I2 I2 I20 I2 I20 5a II II II0 II II 5 33- 100 I0 I0 10 1iwfi 3F I go go go 90 ll" 1 M /N Q v 1:32 0 O O 0 0 21? T F mm PATENTEBMARI 1 I975 GAME BOARD PRIMARILY FOR SMALL CHILDREN My invention relatesto a game board that-may be used by a plurality of small children orother contestants.

Young children have difficulty waiting to take their turn, and they liketo move quickly with force and vigor. Sometimes, they like to play withadults or much older children who might wish to throw" the game in orderto let the child win. The same game board might also be used as a gameof chance, somewhat similar to dice. These considerations lead toconflicting requirements for the game board designer. Moreover, therules must be simple enough for the young child to comprehend quicklyand easily, yet they should also be sufficiently complex to beinteresting to adults playing a game of chance.

An object of my invention is to provide a game board that may be used bya plurality of children approximately four years of age, or older, or byadults participating in the game with the children.

Still another object is to provide a game that is entertaining andmentally stimulating, requiring sufficient skill to reach the winninggoal to hold the interest of the participants.

A further object is to provide a game board that may be used effectivelyby a group of participants, who may be in a school classroom or thelike.

The game board device constituting my invention may be constructed ofvaried types of materials in a durable, and economical manner.

In keeping with an aspect of the invention, a fairly large and massivegame board has a number of columns and rows of holes. The game boardbackground is banded, with periodical color changes so that there is apredetermined number of rows of holes in each background color band.Each player moves a marker down his column of holes. On each move, headvances his marker in any selected one of a permissible number ofholes. Another player who is it or the captain, not seeing the board,and who has another game board with a duplicate column of holes, moveshis marker at the same time that the other players move their markers.If he puts his marker in a hole corresponding to one selected by anotherplayer, that other player is eliminated from the game.

Other and further objects of the invention will become more apparent asthe description proceeds, when taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the game board having a plurality of rowsand columns of holes or apertures therein, here the holes in each columnarev shown as being numbered consecutively from 1 to 20;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of numbered apertures in a separate gameboard, employed by the player who is in FIG. 3 is a suggested markershowing a boy form for engagement within the numbered apertures in thegame board of either FIG. 1 or 2;

FIG. 4 is a similar view of the marker showing a girl form;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional bell v employed as asignal that is actuated by the player who is -it" while the game is inprogress; and

FIG. 6 shows an alternative marker used by the player who is it.

parts and features throughout the several views. More particularly, thecharacter 10 identifies the game board that may used by all playersexcept for the one who is it. This game board may be constructed of anytype of flat and rigid material, such as wood, metal, hard board,card-board, plastic, or the like.

The game board 10 is here shown, by way of example, as being divided bycolor bands into four sections, indicated by the numbers 11, ll, 11",and 11", which are to be colored into four colors, as shown at 12. A topsection 13 of the board 10, has trees, or the like disposed thereon,each tree being a safe home for the contestant playing on the associatedcolumn of holes.

The game board 10 is shown with a plurality of rows and columns 14, withthe holes in each column being numbered consecutively from one totwenty. As here shown, there are five rows of holes in each color band.The number of contestants playing the game may vary. As here shown,there are five columns on the face of the board which means that anynumber of children, up to five plus it, may play this game. Theapertures 15 in the section 13 designate home or the finish of the game.As here shown, the home is a tree" in the section 13, since treescorrespond to other homes in childrens games such as hide and seek.

In FIG. 2, I show a control game board 16 used by the player who is it.This control board may also be constructed of the same material as gameboard 10. The board 16 is also provided with a column of holes orapertures 17, numbered from one to twenty. The four sections, 18, 18,18", and 18" are colored to correspond with the four sections ll, 11,11", and 11" on the game board 10. The person who is it plays on thecontrol board which thereby serves as a memory unit for helping theperson who is itf to recall where he is playing and which hole has beenselected.

Each contestant playing the game is provided with a color coded markeror a peg 19 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. If the contestant is a boy, hewill use the peg shown in FIG. 3, and if a girl, she would use the oneshown in FIG. 4. The marker 20, shown in FIG. 6, is employed by theplayer who is it" to engage the apertures 17 in the board 16. Obviously,the markers shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, may be of any form, shape orcontour.

The arrangement shown enables the game to be played in various ways. Oneof the outstanding features of the game is that the player who is it orcaptain is directing the game. He or she is either behind a screen, inanother room, or with his back turned so he cannot observe the actionofthe contestants. When the players have their markers 19 in the positionin the hole, one of the columns of holes or apertures 14, the player whois it or captain may shout green light to authorize the players toproceed in choosing a number in one of the apertures in section 11" toreceive the marker 19 on the board 10. Or, the player who is it maysound an alarm such as is shown in FIG. 5, or blow a whistle or thelike.

When the player who is it" shouts red light." or he again sounds thealarm or bell, the game stops. At that time, he chooses and announces anumber in the section 11". Any player with his marker 19 in the aperturebearing that number is then eliminated from the game. The game proceedsto the next section 11'', here shown as yellow on the board. The playerwho is it or captain again shouts green light, and the game proceedsuntil he again shouts red light to stop the game. At that time, he willchoose another number in the section 11" to proceed with the game. Thefirst player to reach number in section 11 wins the game, and puts hismarker 19 into the aperture 15 to win the game.

The following considerations will suggest how the game board may bemodified:

1. There is a control board 16 and a playing board 10.

2. One or more control boards and one or more playing boards may be usedat the same time.

3. There may be one or more people at each control board and one or morepeople at each playing board.

4. The number of stops between the start and finish may vary with theversion of the game.

5. The detailed rules of the game may be varied to make the game moreinteresting and appropriate for participants of various ages.

6. The colored sections of the game boards are important since they giveclues as to where the contestants markers are located at various timesas they progress toward the goal. These colored sections may beexpanded, or varied, to make different modifications of the same generalgame.

7. Letters of the alphabet or other marks or symbols may be substitutedfor numbers between the start and the finish of the game.

8. Simple or sophisticated electrical wiring may be used with versionsof the game in order to automate scoring.

9. This game could also be played as a game of chance involving wagers,betting, increasing and decreasing odds, etc.

10. Several other indoor and outdoor games could easily be created usingthe same basic ideas which are involved in this game.

It is manifest that many changes may be made in the structure or therules of the game to bring about the same results. Although I have showna specific arrangement in the parts and features constituting myinvention, many changes may be made without departing from the scope orthe spirit of my invention. Therefore, the appended claims are to beconstrued to cover all equivalents.

I claim: I

l. A game board for a number of players, the game board comprising rowsand columns of holes with a start line at a first of said rows and agoal line at the last of said rows, each column of holes being assignedto one of said players, a plurality of periodic background bands eachcontaining a plurality and predetermined number of said rows of saidholes, whereby successive plays comprises a selection of any hole in thenext successive background band, control means comprising a separateboard used by a player who is it," the separate control board containinga duplicate column of holes having duplicate periodic background bands,the total number of holes and the area of the separate control boardbeing substantially less than the total number of holes and the area ofthe game board, each band on the separate control board corresponding toa band on the game board, the separate control board providing means forstoring a memory of successive positions selected by a player who is it,and marker means which each player and the player who is it," and markermeans which each player and the player who is it may successivelyposition in the column assigned to him for play whereby a player is outif he plays a position on the game board corresponding to a position onthe separate control board which is selected by the player who is it.

2. The game board of claim 1 and alarm means for signalling the startand stop ofv each successive playing move.

3. The game board of claim 1 wherein each marker is distinctive of aparticular player.

4. The game board of claim 1 wherein each of said periodic bands is adifferent color, the colors of corresponding bands being the same on thegame board and the separate control board.

5. The game board of claim 1 wherein all holes in each column areconsecutively numbered.

1. A game board for a number of players, the game board comprising rows and columns of holes with a start line at a first of said rows and a goal line at the last of said rows, each column of holes being assigned to one of said players, a plurality of periodic background bands each containing a plurality and predetermined number of said rows of said holes, whereby successive plays comprises a selection of any hole in the next successive background band, control means comprising a separate board used by a player who is ''''it,'''' the separate control board containing a duplicate column of holes having duplicate periodic background bands, the total number of holes and the area of the separate control board being substantially less than the total number of holes and the area of the game board, each band on the separate control board corresponding to a band on the game board, the separate control board providing means for storing a memory of successive positions selected by a player who is ''''it,'''' and marker means which each player and the player who is ''''it'''' may successively position in the column assigned to him for play whereby a player is ''''out'''' if he plays a position on the game board corresponding to a position on the separate control board which is selected by the player who is ''''it.''''
 1. A game board for a number of players, the game board comprising rows and columns of holes with a start line at a first of said rows and a goal line at the last of said rows, each column of holes being assigned to one of said players, a plurality of periodic background bands each containing a plurality and predetermined number of said rows of said holes, whereby successive plays comprises a selection of any hole in the next successive background band, control means comprising a separate board used by a player who is ''''it,'''' the separate control board containing a duplicate column of holes having duplicate periodic background bands, the total number of holes and the area of the separate control board being substantially less than the total number of holes and the area of the game board, each band on the separate control board corresponding to a band on the game board, the separate control board providing means for storing a memory of successive positions selected by a player who is ''''it,'''' and marker means which each player and the player who is ''''it'''' may successively position in the column assigned to him for play whereby a player is ''''out'''' if he plays a position on the game board corresponding to a position on the separate control board which is selected by the player who is ''''it.''''
 2. The game board of claim 1 and alarm means for signalling the start and stop of each successive playing move.
 3. The game board of claim 1 wherein each marker is distinctive of a particular player.
 4. The game board of claim 1 wherein each of said periodic bands is a different color, the colors of corresponding bands being the same on the game board and the separate control board. 